A script 12 years in the writing. A constantly starting and halting production. An original release date of 2008. A lead actor almost dropping out of filming. For any other film, such reportings might be cause for concern. After all, if a film has this much going against it, then surely it can't be worth it unless it is something special. And if there is a word to describe "Blue Valentine" it is, at the very least special. A fragile and often uncomfortable look into the fickleness of love and relationships. It is a film, that if all its encompassing factors had not been so specifically in place, it is quite possible we would not be left with the mini masterpiece we have here. Having directed one little seen feature over a decade ago, director Derek Cianfrance set his resources into getting this picture made. Quite obviously a labour of love for everybody involved, it was honed and crafted over the years, adding vital slices of real life experience into its script. If the film is one thing, it is honest. It is a frank look at the breakdown of a relationship when sometimes for nothing or everything, love one day, just leaves us. After searching endlessly for his leads, he found Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, so perfect for their roles. After Heath Ledgers untimely death, Cianfrance, out of respect for Williams and their daughter, halted production. A lesser director might have recast the part, but Cianfrance knew just how vital Williams was to her role. A change of location in the script, some delays in its release and a run in with the MPAA and it is quite lucky that the film is even here at all, much less the work of beauty that it is.
Working as a far more tragic and bleak version of "(500) Days of Summer", the film charts the breakdown of a marriage over the course of one weekend, while cutting back to the original sparks of love first igniting between the pair many years earlier. This could be seen as stylish and gimmicky for the sake of it, yet through this, the director highlights some important contrasts in character outlook and perspective. The overall question of 'where does love go?' is not an easy one, but by bringing us back to those early, happier days, we can gauge the various reasons and choices that have led our two protagonists to this point. Not that it is quite as simple as that, Cianfrance never points the finger at either members, rather acutely observing the destruction unfold. Life sometimes gets in the way it seems. As 'Dean', Gosling gives an exuberant performance. A man simply committed to his wife and daughter, and not much else, through his perpetual childishness we see reasons for Cindys gradual despising and original blossoming love for him. As 'Cindy', Williams, delivers an astonishingly subtle performance. Her coming to terms with what is happening juxtaposed with Goslings 'die hard romantic-fight til the death' is profound. Their studying of the characters for years in the productions many starting and stoppings, must have led to a deep understanding on the actors behalf. The fact that before filming began, both Gosling and Williams lived together as a family, adds to the unbearable realness of it all.
Cianfrance shot with little or no rehearsal and insisted on capturing most of the scenes on the first take. The acting is as raw and gritty as the script calls for. Cianfrances camera puts the audience in the middle of it. To say the film is uncomfortable is an understatement. At any given time it feels the viewer is eavesdropping on a couples demise. If the film was initially slapped with an NC-17 on its American release, it is not down to the frank nature of the sex scenes, but rather the feelings of realness it injects. The filmmakers have pondered that perhaps it was too real and that is what led to their downfall. Had the film received the rating it was initially stamped with, it would have been the death knell for it. It would not have received nearly the same audience it deserves and if anything, the only thing the film is truly explicit in, is emotion. While harvesting some all too real truths about both members of the opposite sex, the film also provides some illuminations on the first awakenings of love. Gosling playing ukulele while Williams tap dances is just one hauntingly beautiful soon to be classic scene in a film full of them. The film is tough and painful but only as it should be. As a result, it would not be described as a fun or entertaining evenings watch. But caught in the right mood however, with no distractions, then the film will soon take over. It might be easy to play the blame game with both characters, but like reality, it is not as simple as that. Everybody and nobody is to blame. Life is life. In all its mysterious glory, who can predict why things happen the way they do? Of course, by that rationale, who could have predicted how searingly beautiful "Blue Valentine" would ever go on to be, or that it would even exist at all.
Verdict: 88%
A stunningly observed dissection of love and relationships. It may not be fun and easy, but it is important and forces you to ask substantial questions about your life. The actors transform into a space where that on screen is reality, and we have walked in on something painful, real, true and most importantly, beautiful.
